Cinder Heart
by Kumiho99
Summary: (Dragon AU: Denmark x Dragon!Norway) The Kingdom and the Empire have always had a shaky relationship, but as a series of dragon poachings are littered throughout the land war finally breaks between the two superpowers. Kingdom Dragon Lord Mathias and his (reluctant) dragon Lukas set out to find the real enemy before its to late, but will they be able to find solace in themselves?


_A/N: Hello everyone! Kumi here! I would like to add as a note before you read the story that some characters do not appear until later in the story, and that the story is rated M due to some content (wiggles eyebrows) in later chapters. Thanks for understanding!_

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 1: The Beginning<em>**

"_To be able to have contact with the Dragons… I believe that is a blessing itself, is it not?"_

_Wang Yao, Emperor of the Empire_

_In the Kingdom, The Capital, 11__th__ Day of the 10__th__ Month_

It was a time back when they still had kingdoms and territories, when people still believed in the existence of dragons. And dragons were real alright, dragons were real… and people had the right to partner up with them. But let me go back to the beginning: there were two relatively peaceful nations in the continents that is now Eurasia, the Kingdom and the Empire. The Kingdom was located in Europe, the Empire located in Asia. Now I say "relative" peace. In reality, the two nations were in a silent war for rights. Whose rights you ask? The dragons, and yes dragons exist. But in order to explain about the dragons, I will have to begin the story…

"My lord, it is simply perfect for you! It is one of the most regal we have found!" the Dragon Trader gushed, his hands gesturing to the sooty grey dragon chained to the wall in front of them. Mathias glanced at the dragon chained to the wall, its pathetic red eyes gazing wearily back at him. He winced in sympathy before changing his view back to the trader. "I have said this is not the one. It does not have what I seek! I will buy it, but I will have my servant release it back into the mountains."

"But my lord, we have trained this dragon for _years. _It knows how to catch its own food and return so you won't need to feed it, it knows how to fight, and it knows the traits that all wild dragons know!"

"Perfect. Then it's set to be released. How much was it again? 40000 gold?"

"50000 gold, but lord-"

The blond man stopped him with a glare. "My word is final." He set a large sack into the still open hands of the trader and gestured for his servant to unchain the cowering dragon. "Unchain it and release it."

The servant, Tino, a short statured man with light blond hair, bowed his head, his violet eyes lowered as he murmured, "Yes my lord." He scurried over to the dragon and released the chain from the wall, pulling it away from the courtyard.

The trader fumbled with the bag of gold, peeking inside before glancing at Mathias. "A-are you sure my lord? You won't find better!"

Mathias turned, his leather cape fluttering heavily behind him. "Leave me. You are done for today."

The trader bowed before walking out of the court, his hands tight around the bag of gold as he walked toward his cart.

Mathias Kohler, the man that this story stars, is one of the few Dragon Lords in the nation, those allowed to own a dragon legally for the military of the King. (But there are those known to use dragons legally for messenger and other civilian purposes.) They are known for their bravery and their valor for being able to make a contract with a dragon... but of course, not all of them _own _a dragon.

Mathias kicked the ground in silence, a brooding aura hanging over his head. _"Another one free… but so many more to go…" _he thought to himself, rubbing the pin that held the cape over his shoulders. Mathias was known to the Kingdom as the Dragon Lord Talon, known for his great courage (or what others like to know as obliviousness) and his tendency to release dragons. Although the court and the King both disagree with his actions, his popularity with the people was too great for them to afford his release from action. Their popularity were low enough to begin with.

Tino returned, his hands red from holding the heavy chain. "I have given the dragon to the trainers to handle, Mathias, but can you really afford to release another? You need to find a dragon soon! The other lords look down on us…"

Tino was a longtime friend to Mathias, only calling him Lord in front of others. In reality they were childhood companions, and even though their opinions may disagree that doesn't hinder their friendship.

Mathias showed a wide grin toward Tino, his brows raised. "No problem Ti! I'm sure I can find a dragon soon. It's just that _that _one didn't have the gutsy stuff I'm looking for."

Tino's eyes narrowed. "You'll never find a dragon like that Mathias, not here in the Kingdom. The only dragons like that are in the Empire, but their dragons look so different from ours everyone is going to see that it was smuggled."

Mathias' nose wrinkled. "Who said that I need an Empire dragon? Oriental dragons are harder to ride anyway, who can ride such a snake like body? What I mean is that I have heard reports of a wild dragon up north! Said it was pretty low flying for this time of year. Looks like its nesting. Might go check that one out, ya' know?"

Tino sighed. "Idiot. I'm grateful for you giving me employment when I needed it but… this is pushing me a little too far. I'm almost done with my own dragon training, just thought I should alert you."

Mathias slapped Tino on the back, who tripped forward due to his small frame. "Great for ya'! I'm sure ya'll finish with flying colors!"

Tino muttered with a much less enthusiastic reply, "Right. Well I'm not going to waste finding a dragon for myself."

Mathias laughed off the indirect insult, his blue eyes sparkling. "I won't be dragonless for long! I'm leaving today! See you in a week Tino! Take care of the property while I'm gone!" He ran back into the house and emerged again with a pack, his leather hood up. "Bye!"

Tino watched wordlessly as Mathias walked out of the gate, his mouth set in a grim line. Mathias was always leaving on excursions to find dragons, but he has never been fruitful in any of these searches. It has been five years, and out of the 200 hundred+ dragons that Mathias had seen, he has either released them back into the wild or had given it to another rider. Too be honest, Tino had lost hope that Mathias will find another dragon just like Insidious. With one last sigh he turned and entered the house, his violet eyes once again toward the floor.

xxxxxxx

_In the Kingdom, Chester, 14__th__ Day of the 10__th__ Month_

Mathias shuffled through the crowd that was the northern village market. The village's name was known as Chester, and it was one of the larger towns up north. _'Why is a dragon nesting so close to a densely populated area…?" _Mathias wondered, his blue eyes scanning the crowd for his acquaintance.

He was suddenly blocked by two busty young woman. "Oh my, a Dragon Lord…" the first one giggled, her lashes batting flirtatiously at Mathias. "One of high rank too. And what might your name be, mister?" the second one breathed, slowly circling her finger around Mathias' shoulder. She tapped the gold pin that held Mathias' cape, her eyes glinting dangerously as she exchanged a glance with her friend. Mathias smiled nervously, pushing the second girl away. "Haha… sorry miss but I'm in a hurry."

"Aw, meeting a girl? A man as sinfully handsome as you must already have one…"

"No that's not-"

The first girl interrupted, shaking her head in a mockingly sad manner. "It's fine Dragon Lord, do not say more. Just leave us single, ugly, two girls alone. So long."

The pair left, their heads held haughtily high. Mathias sighed in relief. He was used to being stopped like that by girls who were seeking marriage. As a Dragon Lord he was wealthy and most likely available, and it didn't help that he was quite the looker himself, but… he had more important missions to do than to look for a girl.

He brushed off his tunic and continued, finally meeting the person he was seeking. "Oi! Timmy! Over here!"

A tall brooding man glared up from his pipe, his steely dust-blue eyes glaring at Mathias. "You're late. And don't call me that Mathias."

"Aw come on, we've known each other for ten years now! Can't you cut a friend some slack?"

"No."

"Grump."

Timothy is another good friend of Mathias'. They started dragon training together, and Timothy finished second in his class. (Mathias was third. First was a bloke named Arthur Kirkland.) After they graduated Timothy became a dragon trainer, preferring to work with multiple dragons than work with one just for the king. Mathias wanted to go higher, and Timothy has been helping him find a dragon since their graduation.

"Well, today's another big day." Mathias sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Have you gathered any information?"

Timothy breathed deeply from his pipe before answering, letting the smoke stream slowly through his lips. "Yeah, some farmers mentioned a dragon flying strangely low. Say they could smell the brimstone. They think its wild, they didn't see the royal insignia in its hind."

All dragons that were licensed for usage by a person must have the royal insignia branded into its hind. Although it wasn't normally a painful process for the dragon, Mathias had always hated it. He loathed burning such an ugly mark onto a beautiful thing. "Hmm. Then its wild…."

Timothy glanced at Mathias' thoughtful face, a brow raised. "Think this might be true? About 80% of the reports we get like this are false and they turn out just to be a wyvern."

Wyverns were known to the people as a lower class of the dragon family. Not truly dragons, they were smaller and less powerful than a dragon, but wyverns are used for dragon school training. Civilians also can keep a small wyvern for their own purposes.

"Well we don't know if we don't try Timothy. Let's go!" Mathias exclaimed, shifting the pack on his back.

Timothy rolled his eyes as he picked up his own, shaking out the remains of his pipe onto the ground and stepping onto the ashes. "You made me waste half of a good pipe."

And then they were off.

xxxxxxx

After they left the village it took only a day of walking to find their destination, which worried Mathias.

"Isn't it strange that a dragon is _nesting _so close to a village? Wouldn't they normally do this in the mountains?"

Timothy scanned the craggy terrain, his brows furrowed. "I agree… even a wyvern is smarter than to keep its nest so close to a human population."

Mathias frowned, his fists tightening around his sword. "I hope it isn't one of those special dragons we've been hearing about."

His friend glared at Mathias. "Please don't remind me about that."

The "special dragons" that Mathias was mentioning were those dragons that have left the noble line of a dragon's wisdom and have become only feral creatures. These were the dragons that had fallen for the power of the Shadow. The Shadow is a natural power that hangs over both the lands of the Kingdom and the Empire. To humans it revealed itself as poverty, greed, hunger, lust, and many other traits. To the dragons, it revealed itself as a source of power. When a dragon falls prey to it, it does grow more powerful, but the price is the dragon's wisdom, its mind. Timothy has a scar over his left eye from an encounter with one.

As they got nearer to the cave they were looking for, Mathias sniffed the air. "Brimstone. So there's definitely something here."

Timothy nodded. He then asked flatly, "So what if it is a dragon just the type you are looking for. How are you going to make a contract or partnership with it?"

Mathias shrugged. "I'll think of something."

The cave came into view. Timothy started to walk slower, his eyes narrowing. "Careful Mathias. There's something in there."

Mathias heard it: a slow heavy breathing coming from the cave. It sounded labored, as if the animal was in pain. He bit his bottom lip. If this was an injured dragon they had to do something.

"So what now. Are you going to go in there and ask like the thousand other times you have tried? I'm sure all dragons are just enthusiastic about losing its freedom to serve a guy like you." Timothy sarcastically commented as Mathias got up to go into the cave.

"No, not this one Timmy… I think its hurt."

Ignoring the exasperated sigh that came from his friend, he slowly approached the cave. "Hello? Anyone in there?"

The breathing stopped and a shuffling could be heard inside.

Mathias froze, his hand on his sword. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to ask you something."

A moment passed. Then a few. After a couple minutes a small weak voice, one that sounded like rustling leaves called, "G-go away."

Mathias breathed sharply in with relief. It wasn't a special dragon. He licked his dry lips before calling, "My name is Mathias. I am a Dragon Lord, but I'm not going to capture you. I just want to know if ya' hurt."

"I said go away."

"But I need to know if ya' hurt!"

"No, leave me alone."

Mathias grunted in annoyance. It was definitely a younger adolescent dragon. But where was its mother? Usually they don't leave their young until their early adult stages. He then asked, "Hey, where's your mother?"

Silence.

"Did you lose your mother?"

Another shuffling sound.

"Mathias!"

Mathias turned at the urgent call. Timothy was rarely ever this forward. "What is it?!"

"Above you!"

Mathias finally heard the flap of wings. He looked up to see a great navy blue dragon circling the air above. A loud screech reverberated in the air as it started to plunge for Mathias. Mathias cursed under his breath as he fumbled for his flash powder. The dragon got closer, its claws open. Mathias pinched some of the powder that was hanging in a sack on his belt and threw it on the ground. A large smoke cloud appeared with a poof, the dragon confusedly landed in a clutter on a nearby stack of rocks. Mathias rolled out of the cloud and hid behind rocks on the opposite side of the cave entrance.

"Reveal yourself, intruder."

Mathias' brows raised at the surprisingly calm voice, a voice that sounded like the running of water in a brook. These dragons were strange alright.

"I don't mean t' intrude! I was just-"

"Explain then! Why are you near my den?"

Mathias leaned against the rock he was hiding, tapping his sword thoughtfully.

"Well… to tell the truth…."

"Idiot don't say-" Timothy began before getting cut off.

"Wait Timmy let me explain. Well actually I'm a Dragon Lord looking for a dragon to make a contract with. Don't worry, I don't force dragons, I just go around asking them. Anyways, I heard about a dragon that was nesting unusually near a densely populated area like Chester, so I wanted to check it out. So here I am with my best bud Timothy wanting to check if something was wrong."

Mathias held his breath, listening for any reaction from the mighty being, but the beast was silent. Finally there was a rustling, and Mathias peeked over the rock to see the dragon folding its wings.

"You are surprisingly stupid sounding for a Dragon Lord, if my eyes do not deceive me the red cape around your shoulders.

"I always wonder why everyone tells me that."

"Do you guarantee that you mean us no harm?"

"Yeah."

"Remember, if I see any action betraying my trust, I will kill you and your friend on the spot."

"I'm good with that."

The dragon's golden eyes gleamed as they stayed settled on the blue human eyes peeking over the rock in front of it. Finally, with a snort and a shake of its regal head, the dragon lowered its haunches. "You are not to stand within a close distance to the nest, is that understood?"

Mathias nodded. He knew that mother dragons can be very protective of their young, willing to give their own lives if that meant the young could live. He slowly backed away from the rock, stepping back to where Timothy was now standing.

Dragons were not simple beasts that attacked on sight. Long ago, if you approached them with peaceful intent, they would give you the most invaluable things for the right prices. For example, they would give farmers how the weather would fair for a cow, or a trade-off quite as simple as that, but lately in the Kingdom with dragons being restricted territory even farther and farther, dragons were getting more secluded from the humans. Now it was extremely rare to be able to find a dragon that is willing to speak to you, even more so to even find a dragon that will give advice.

Mathias' eyes were fixated on the sleek navy blue dragon in front of them as it disappeared into the cave. They were wide and wondrous, shining with a light only seen several years ago. "Look at the way she holds herself! As if she were a royal being that must be treated with the up-most respect! Gosh, I haven't seen a dragon like that since Insidious!"

Timothy looked shocked at Mathias. "Are you serious? We just trespassed on its territory! What makes you think that it'll even glance at you after what you have done?"

Mathias shrugged, his wide white grin again appearing on his face. "I don't know. I just know."

The dragon re-emerged from the cave, its tail waving lazily behind it. "I will show you what is in this cave, but only on the word you do not mention this to any dragon trader."

Mathias nodded, his hand on his chest. "I swore an oath to protect all dragons and to listen to their word. I would never break my oath."

Timothy nodded, his arms crossed. "I took that oath too. And you can trust that oaf even more than me. He takes it a little more seriously than most."

The dragon nodded before looking behind it at the shape behind. "You can come out little-one."

A dragon half the size of the original hesitantly walked out from behind the bigger. Mathias felt his eyes widen all over again. A pearly white dragon, with violet eyes. This was one of the rarest colors found among dragons. Blue was also another rarer color. How did these rare dragons stay out of Dragon Lord ears this long?

"This is Permafrost. I am taking care of him. And I am Cobaltflame." The navy blue dragon growled gently, its wise eyes settling on Mathias. "Please look closer to Permafrost, if you will Dragon Lord."

Mathias looked behind him at Timothy, who nodded his head at the white dragon in concern. Mathias focused on the white dragon, only to finally see it: its wings were crooked.

"T-this isn't natural. How did it happen?" he breathed, tilting his head to get a better look at the wings.

"Traders. They are no longer keeping to their bred dragons and legal ways to catch a dragon, but are now using traps and weapons. We have been on the run for several months now." The blue dragon continued, its eyes narrowing. "And your kind has done nothing about it. So I would like to make a deal with you."

Mathias stopped mid-sentence, his eyes looking up into the dragon's. "A… deal?"

The dragon bowed its head. "Yes, a deal. You say you are looking for a dragon? Then may I ask that you take me into your service."

Mathias could feel an unknown pressure from his chest release. He jumped up with a shout, yelping, "Of course! I would be happy to!"

The dragon watched stoically at the jumping man. "But it has a catch, as all deals with a wild dragon does. You must promise Permafrost's safety, and you must somehow catch word of this to the king.

Mathias nodded rigorously, his hands in fists. "Don't worry! I'll get all of that covered."

Cobaltflame still watched the man flatly, what seemingly sounding like a sigh leaving its flaring nostrils. "Well then, I guess we will make a contract." The dragon held up a claw and put it on Mathias' chest. Mathias felt a burning sensation with the contact, what felt like flames licking up at his flesh. Hissing in pain he closed his eyes, allowing the dragon to finish. Only when the pain started to fade away did the dragon remove its claw. Mathias opened the front of his tunic to reveal what appeared to be a swirling rune on the middle of his chest. It appeared to look like a swirling flame.

"What's this?" he asked, touching the raised skin that was marked, wincing in pain.

"My mark. It shows that you are mine." The dragon replied.

"Cobalt… you don't need to do this." The younger dragon growled, its claws kneading the ground much like a cat. "I can protect myself until I'm healed."

"And that is what you said when I left only to find you found by humans again." Cobalt murmured back. It then looked at Mathias. "Now that the mark is on you, you as a person will _appear_ as my owner. We will be partners in the actual terms, not rider and dragon, is that clear?"

"Crystal."

"Hmm. If this is all done, I will change into your kind's form. Permafrost will do the same, in order for us to travel with you without being noticed…"

Timothy finally spoke up from his previously silent position behind Mathias. "Wait, how is this so easy? We have been searching for years for a compliant dragon, and you're just going to make a contract with him? And reveal your human form? I don't understand."

Cobaltflame returned Timothy's gaze steadily. "I'm doing this of my own will. I sense that you two mean us no harm, but I have yet to trust you. My options are limited at this point." With that Cobaltflame looked at Mathias. "Have clothing ready for us two." Mathias jumped and reached into his pack, pulling out two sets of clothing.

Colbaltflame folded its wings tightly around itself, tucking its head inside. The wings seem to merge into a cocoon like shape, growing smaller and smaller until it was humanly proportionate. Permafrost did the same painfully with his own crooked wings, growing smaller until he was a small cocoon. Then both cocoons disappeared with a flash.

In Permafrost's place was a teenage boy with a head of white hair, true to his dragon's form. Violet eyes were scanning the scenery hesitantly, his skinny arms wrapped around his naked form. Mathias carefully approached the boy and covered him with a thick blanket, setting the clothing for him in front of his feet. He then looked expectantly at where Cobaltflame was.

A slender figure, about 170 cm tall in height, stretched where Cobaltflame was. "I haven't been in this form for years…" it breathed. Mathias stared as its head turned to gaze at him, dull navy blue eyes peering through long, platinum blond bangs. "Well Dragon Lord, are you going to stand there like a fool all day or will you bring me my clothing?"

Mathias finally brought himself to move. As he shuffled toward the being who was going to be his dragon, he couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful, regal face. He handed the clothing to the dragon, who quickly slipped the articles on. "Mmm, too big… Must have them fixed when we reach the village." It muttered before brushing off the shirt. It then turned with its arms crossed, his pose not unlike Timothy's. "My human name is Lukas. Permafrost's is Emil. You may refer to us with those titles if you find it more comfortable."

Mathias stayed silent, staring at Lukas, who in return raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong? Or has the idiocy finally reached your head."

Mathias' mouth opened and closed like a fish before he finally gulped some air, and after a couple of moments of preparing himself, oh so slowly, before he bluntly asked, "You were a man?"

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><p><em>AN: You finished the first chapter! Congratulations! I will have to admit that later chapters will vary in length, so this will not be the set length of all chapters. Also, I will add a character list at the end of all chapters to help you with names! If you have any other questions, PM me, and I would appreciate any reviews! Thanks and look forward to the next chapter!_

_Characters:_

_Mathias Kohler- Denmark_

_Lukas/Cobaltflame- Norway_

_Timothy- Netherlands_

_Permafrost/Emil- Iceland_

_Tino- Finland_

_Arthur Kirkland- England_


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